Back to list Fictional stories, invented folklore and urban
myths are told through the installations, drawings,
photography and sculpture of German artist Daniel Roth. Creating a fictional space using the architecture
of the South London Gallery and drawing on the local
history of the surrounding area, Roth’s new exhibition
will infiltrate and alter the interior of the Victorian
building while blurring the borders between man-made and
organic materials. Roth’s new work hints at the watery history of
Peckham, which takes its name from the now dried up
River Peck, whose bed can still be seen on Peckham Rye.
This history includes The Grand Surrey Canal, which
carried timber by barge from the Surrey Docks, through
Burgess Park, and terminated at what is now Peckham
Square. Central to Roth’s installation is a sealed
bunker, which is rumoured to conceal a well. The bunker
is connected to the Gallery walls by a network of pipes,
which appear to carry a mysterious liquid, evidenced by
a number of leaks that stain the walls. On another level Roth alludes to the building as
a body with the interior network of conduits referencing
veins and arteries. What appears to be human skin is
draped across an armature in the centre of the Gallery.
The skin is tarnished with a ‘rash’, perhaps caused by
an allergic reaction to the mysterious liquid, which
takes the form of a coded message. The lack of a clear relationship between physical
space and the way our minds work underpins many of
Roth’s projects. He invents evidence of hidden tunnels,
secret chambers and subterranean forests using
photographs, hand written texts, technical drawings and
sculptures. Roth’s intriguingly beautiful installations
present mysteries waiting to unfold where each carefully
crafted element points towards conspiracy theories and
hidden truths behind the façade of everyday life. For Cabrini Green Forest (2004) Roth suggested
the existence of subterranean woodland binding the
social history of Metropolitan Correctional Facility to
a public housing project both in Chicago, Illinois. For
Pension Hohl, he alleges a nightly magical
transformation occurs where mountains close over Lake
Garda controlled from a nearby grounded warship. Rapidly gaining international attention for his
work, Roth’s solo exhibitions include ‘Zones of
Dissolution’ at the Dallas Museum of Art; Donald Young,
Chicago; Western Bridge, Seattle; Meyer Riegger Galerie,
Karlsruhe and ‘Inside the White Cube’, London. Roth has
exhibited in major group exhibitions including
Manifesta, San Sebastian 2004, the Montreal Biennial and
the Berlin Biennial, 2003. ‘The Well’ and the related education programme
are supported by The Henry Moore Foundation, the Goethe
Institute, Vicki Hughes & John Smith and the SLG
Patrons. With thanks to Tomas Adolfs, Roos Gortzak, Ruud
and Ans Gortzak, Xander Karskens, Michele Maccarone,
Meyer Riegger, Anita and Gernot Roth, Monica Tormell,
Fons Welters, Donald Young and De Ateliers, Amsterdam. | 
